Scattered showers could bring heavy rain to parts of NC
This weekend will be wet -- with potential for heavy rain and even flooding in parts of the state.
Scattered showers are expected Saturday afternoon and into the evening. Some of our northern counties have already seen over 3 inches of rainfall in the past 24 hours, and some western counties could see flooding rains.
Rain chances for the Triangle area on Saturday are around 40%, with Sunday bringing an increased chance of 60%.
"It's not a washout," said WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth. "We'll have hit-and-miss showers and storms."
The unsettled pattern and chances for rain continue into the week.
- Saturday: Isolated showers and storms possible. Highs in the low 80s.
- Sunday: Cloudy with 50% chance for showers. High 81.
- Monday: Showers early then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 83.
We'll see a lull in the rain on Sunday morning, then more potential for rain in the afternoon and evening.
After temperatures in the 90s on Thursday and Friday, the weekend will be slightly cooler. Saturday has a high of 82 degrees, and Sunday's high is only 81 degrees.
Rain chances continue into next week, heat returns
Rain chances continue into early next week.
We have a 60% chance for rain on Monday, and those chances will decrease throughout the week.
After a brief break from 90-degree temperatures, the summer-like heat is set to return Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday has a high of 94 degrees, but it could feel even hotter.
With all this warm weather, the flowers and trees are blooming – meaning pollen counts are high. If you're sneezing, spring allergies could be to blame.
As of April 29, rainfall stats for our area are down from normal levels. RDU is in a 2.29" deficit for April while Fayetteville is in a deficit of more than an inch.
7-day forecast for central NC
- Saturday: Isolated showers and storms possible. Highs in the low 80s.
- Sunday: 40% chance for rain and storms. Highs in the low 80s.
- Monday: Partly cloudy skies and hotter. Highs in the low 80s.
- Tuesday: Small chances for showers in the afternoon and evening. High of 87.
- Wednesday: Partly cloudy skies with a chance for showers and storm. Potentially the hottest day of the year with highs in the low 90s.
- Thursday: Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High near 90.
- Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 84.
Prepare for a busy 2024 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season will see 15 to 20 named storms in the Atlantic basin, according to researchers at North Carolina State University.
The number of named storms is significantly higher than the long-term average and moderately higher than recent 30-year averages, according to Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at NC State.
In 2024, NC State researchers predict:
- 15-20 named storms
- 10 to 12 may grow strong enough to become hurricanes (the historical average is six)
- Three to four becoming major hurricanes
Meanwhile, forecasters at Colorado State University are calling for 24 named storms in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. That is higher than the average year, when 14 storms earn a name.
CSU forecasters say 11 storms will reach hurricane strength, up from the average of seven, and five of those hurricanes could be "major," that is Category 3, 4 or 5, with winds over 111 mph.
